Author's Note: Slight warning for gore.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Headstrong, Part Two

We scrambled through the forest even faster after hearing Willis's warning, but it helped very little when a ragtag group of Pelicans and Banshees came swooping in. The battlefield was already overwhelmed with noise - from weapons, explosives, tanks, and MGs - and yet still, they managed to cut through the chaos and send my heart into overdrive.

"Everyone hit the dirt, now!"

It was the last thing I yelled before diving into the snow, hoping the thick cluster of trees just outside the compound would be enough cover. I dropped hard onto my rifle and grabbed my helmet in my hands, feeling the earth shake beneath us as heavy fire poured down from above. For a horrible minute everything in the early morning darkness of the forest lit up, first from the rounds as they came at us, then from the detonations they caused on the ground. And the devastation that followed in their wake was immense.

Breathing hard now with my pulse thundering in my ears, I raised my head as soon as the air cleared and stared at the carnage - fallen trees, massive black craters in the ground, screams from Marines who'd been hit - as well as rebs - and the hulking, burnt-out metal carcass of Wolverine-One about a hundred meters ahead.

"Fuck." I picked myself up fast, snow fluffs falling from my uniform and gun, and keyed the COM. "Sakato? You okay?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," came the reply. "I'm in Wolverine-Two, thankfully. But my men..."

"I know. We'll get them back for this." I quickly switched channels. "Hawk?"

"Colonel. I saw what happened down there. We're going after 'em now to try to prevent another run."

"Good. Those looked like older models."

"They are," he confirmed.

"I guess the rebs've been collecting more than just 'Hogs and guns, then."

They certainly seemed to have cleaned up those old war souvenirs well enough. Their air support wouldn't be able to rival ours in a straight fight, but there was no doubt they'd been fixed up to do some damage. And the results were right in front of me to see.

But I couldn't spend time dwelling on that now. We had to pick up and go on.

"Keep me updated, Major."

"Will do."

I cut the connection and switched to the main channel. "Marines, let's move. Push forward. Captain Sakato?"

"Colonel?"

"Do everything you can to keep that last tank running. Keep in the trees until our flight leader has things under control upstairs."

"Yes, ma'am."

With that we were on the move again, trying to break through the intense fighting around us to reach the compound. I still hadn't heard back from Lloyd, and at this point I feared the worst. We had to get in there - not only for the success of the mission, but to rescue my good friend.

As we rushed past as fast as we could on foot in the snow, I spared a quick glance to my left at what remained of Wolverine-One. The fire was out now, thanks to a cascade of snow that seemed to have fallen on it from the trees above, but the blackened battle scars were there. The entire top hatch had melted, the twisted figures inside all that remained of the Marines who'd operated the tank. I shuddered. That wasn't a good way to go.

Bullets whizzed past my head, forcing me to focus again on what lay ahead. We tried our best to move cover to cover, tree to tree, but many were now either smoking, splintered, or all but completely uprooted as we got closer and closer to the main line. The 904th's Marines were also now fighting with us - and we were all the subject of attention from the rebs that guarded the depot.

I couldn't let them take out our last tank; despite having Willis's air wing in the skies, it would be a massive blow to our firepower here on the ground. With that in mind, I hailed my husband again while I came up to a tree trunk and crouched, pausing for just a moment to fire back at the enemy now that we were finally in range.

"Major, give me a sitrep!"

There was a moment's hesitation, then, "Keepin' 'em busy, ma'am!"

"Are all of your squadrons engaged?"

"Negative!"

"Then give me one at the entrance for a run! Be sure they're just shy of the facility - we don't want to light the whole place up. But I need those heavy weapons gone and a straight shot in for Mullen's battalion."

"Acknowledged, Colonel. Standby."

In the meantime, I addressed my own team of Marines as well as the 904th. "Everyone halt! I repeat, do not go forward! Friendly air incoming! Wait for my order to move."

Acknowledgement lights winked green across my HUD, and I took the moment to hunker down and pick targets through my battle rifle's scope, rather than just fire blindly in the enemy's direction. I soon found Gunnery Sergeant York crouching beside me, as well as a second Marine from my security detail on the other side, and together we focused our efforts on the rebs up on the rooftop - scurrying from one side to the other with either rockets or sniper rifles, and running ammo for the MGs.

I aimed down my sights and saw one of the enemy machine guns rattling away, then quickly spotted a runner moving from cover to cover. In the last few meters, though, I saw he'd have to expose himself for just a couple of seconds to reach one of the guns - and that's where I positioned my crosshairs, waiting.

A short while later he picked up and made a go for it - and got two tight bursts of lead in his chest for his efforts, just above his torso armor. He dropped to the ground in a spray of blood, and didn't even twitch again.

"You got 'im!" the Marine beside me cried.

I nodded and keyed the COM. "Snipers, MG on the left is out of ammo! Tag him now!"

The response was instant. I watched as a sharpshooter made a clean shot right through the rebel's helmet.

"Kill confirmed," I said through the radio. "Nice shot."

I'd just swept to the side with my gun, picking out my next target, when my husband's best friend's voice flooded my helmet.

"Colonel, we're coming in hot! Better hunker down!" Captain Heat shouted.

"Got it! Give 'em hell, Brandon."

"Plan to, ma'am!"

"All ground units, hold! Friendly incoming now!"

The sound of a squadron of Pelicans flying in - the newest models this time, ours - was something to behold. They fired as they rushed past, a succession of explosions sounding one after another, creating a deadly chorus of chaos all along the facility's entrance. It was exactly the kind of softening up we needed, but one I had to make sure was done correctly and precisely, if we didn't want our spook team inside to go up in smoke, too. Ultimately we had to destroy the cache, but only once we got out with the intel. Thankfully, Heat was just the man to ensure that happened.

"Yeah! Direct hit, Colonel," he said over the COM channel. "You be sure to let us know when you need us again. That was fun! And stay safe down there, Cooper."

"Will do, Heat. Thanks for the assist."

The fact that my husband's friend was more concerned about my well-being than Willis himself was telling, and hurtful. But like the rest of my unit now, I had no choice but to just move forward.

Captain Heat's run had made an enormous difference in the level of resistance my Marines faced outside, but even as my detail, Ethan, and I moved in on the entrance now, I could see the fight was far from over. Once the smoke cleared, even more rebs moved into position - and this time, they brought along some alien friends.

"Marines, you've got Jackal snipers coming out! Watch yourselves!" I said into the general channel.

"Not only that, Nat," Ethan added behind me over our private link. "Look on the far side."

"Holy shit."

Joining the fray were dozens of Knights, Watchers, and Crawlers - I could see their faster-than-a-blink blurs of movement from here, conspicuously different than the more natural motion of organic forms, like humans and Covies. Caleb had been right; even on the outside, their numbers were staggering.

"That's not good," my ex remarked. "If they're rushing out, it's very possible that - "

"Cal's position got overrun," I finished. With dread filling me, I addressed everyone again. "All units, we've got Prometheans pouring out of the compound now. Sakato, focus your efforts on them. Call in air support if you need it, but keep that tank alive and hold those lines. Major Mullen?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm heading inside with Commander Ackerson's spook team. Remember you've got Brewer's company in the rear if you need them. It's your show here until I get back."

"On it!"

"All right. Cooper out."

I turned back and nodded to Gunny York, and then Ethan. More so than before, we had a definite time limit we needed to stick to now. To get Lloyd's team out, grab our intel, find and rig the cache, and get the hell out.

All in a day's work, I thought with a sigh.

"Suggestions on how to get in?" I asked Ethan once we were clear of the main line.

He gestured ahead. "Same way as the lieutenant's team, I think. Just have to be prepared for extra trouble."

"Okay. York, we'll go in first, with the spooks behind. Stay cautious, but above all, move quick. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," came a chorus of voices.

"Great. Let's go."

With the battle raging outside, I was expecting more resistance at the entrance. There was none. Since the thick door had previously been breached by Lloyd and his spooks, there wasn't anything special we had to do this time to get inside.

No alarms sounded, either, and no auto-turrets activated.

"Just like that, huh?" I said, and Ethan shrugged.

"Forgot the lock?"

"Maybe, but I don't buy it. Stay sharp."

Caleb had said he was pinned down by the various forces in here. If they weren't at the entrance, they had to be further in.

The silence and lack of enemy presence so far was making me nervous. I raised my gun, gripping it tight. The Marines up at point did the same, moving at a clipped pace now down the hall and between rooms.

I risked a hail to the lieutenant. "Lloyd, it's Colonel Cooper. I need to know if you and your team made it. Ping me back if you can't speak."

I waited, alternating my attention between my HUD and the corridor.

"Anything?" my ex asked.

"No." I sighed. "I think we need to be ready to - "

"Contacts!" one of the noncoms up front yelled, and we all instantly stacked up against the wall.

I couldn't see from my vantage point, so I keyed the COM. "What've we got, Corporal?"

"Prometheans, ma'am! They're coming up n - "

It was a Knight, followed quickly by a Crawler Gunny York put down in a split second. My team's leader then pivoted in one fluid motion to shield me, keeping me back.

The corporal up at point, however, had no one, and no warning. Before any of us could react, the Knight sunk its blade deep into his chest, leaving the Marine gasping for breath and choking on his own blood. He dropped to the floor with his eyes wide open, gagging, and that's when the rest of us recovered enough to engage.

"Open fire!" I shouted, going down on one knee as I skirted past York to shoot. "Open fire now! And get to the corporal!"

I realized very quickly that I hadn't missed fighting these bots at all. I took aim at another Crawler on fast approach and squeezed off two rapid bursts, putting it down, only to find three more were behind it.

"Núñez! Let's get that SAW into play!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"York, get your Marines on the bigger targets! Ackerson, your team will keep these dogs off!"

"Understood!"

"Good. Grenade out!"

I stepped up in the middle of the fray, unhooking a frag off my web belt as I went, and tossed it into the oncoming bunch. With gloved fingers I signaled the rest of the Marines to prepare for the detonation - three, two, one - and then pressed my back hard into a nook in the wall. The explosive went off the same moment I shut my eyes tight, and when I reopened them, smoke and the stench of burnt and twisted metal permeated the air.

"Now! Get 'em while they're down!"

For my part, I stuck close to the wall, turning the corner just to pop off several quick bursts before ducking back. York came up on the opposite side, along with a couple other Marines from my detail, including Núñez, trying to take the brunt of the counterattack. The SAW did wonders for crowd control in the tight space, and in a matter of minutes, we had it all wrapped up.

While the Knights' bodies had disappeared, as usual, we found ourselves stepping past dozens of pieces of wreckage from Crawlers and Watchers - a testament to their numbers as well as our ability to handle them better now that they'd been studied.

Yet still, as I walked up to the mortally wounded corporal and realized he hadn't made it, I felt the emotional punch of losing one of our own. One of my own - and that put a huge damper on the mood.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, crouching for just a moment as we passed. I touched a gloved hand to his helmet, then looked over at Ethan. "We need to get his body out of here when we're done."

My ex shook his head. "Don't think it'll be possible, Colonel. You should focus on the living."

"I am," I answered solemnly as I pulled off the Marine's dogtags and stuck them in my cargo pocket. "But I won't forget those who sacrificed for me, either." I released a second sigh. "That's another one, Ethan."

"Don't dwell on it, Cooper. He knew what he was getting into. We all do."

I frowned at his words but said nothing while I stood. "All right. Eyes and guns up the rest of the way, Marines. Based on Lieutenant Lloyd's report, there's plenty more where that came from."

Running into the Prometheans had been expected, but we still had no idea about how they'd arrived, why they were here, and why they seemed to be cropping up in all the places the rebs were in lately. They obviously weren't working together; they were fighting each other here on Puget just as much as they fought us, and I didn't see any benefit to their cooperation. At this point I didn't have a clue what was going on with them - and I was starting to doubt that the cache alone, if found, would hold those answers for us.

But it was sure nice to see that our enemies had enemies, too.

As we moved in on one of the main common rooms now, York suddenly cried, "Hold it!"

"What's going on?" I radioed from further back. "What do you see?"

"Big open space, two stories. And miles and miles of crates, ma'am."

"This is it. The weapons cache."

"Affirmative, Colonel."

I glanced back at Ethan. "Tag it. All of it."

He nodded and immediately stepped forward. "Moving."

Still up at point, the gunnery sergeant stepped inside first, on the lookout for any guards. Three of my security detail followed him, then two more. Only then did Ethan and his ONI team go ahead.

"Clear?" I called out.

"Clear," my ex confirmed. "It's quieter than I'd expect, but if they had that many troops outside, and the Prometheans inside were hounding Lloyd...it doesn't surprise me that security's light."

"Yeah. That's exactly what I was hoping for." I paused. "Even so, make sure you move fast. We still need to locate your colleague."

"Yes, ma'am."

My buddy was still on my mind as I finally walked into the room, the last two Marines in my detail coming with me, just a few steps behind to cover my six. With everyone on the spook team cataloging the crates and readying the cache to blow, and my own Marines simultaneously keeping an eye on me and any potential threats, I was mostly my own first line of defense.

And I hadn't counted on a group of rebels to be hiding amongst the crates, rather than guarding them.

"Rebs!" I yelled. "Weapons up!"

My detail reacted fast, but as only two were on my six - and the rest had to maneuver into better positions to fight - I didn't have quite the coverage I should have. A pair of rebels were killed as they lunged for me from their hiding places, but the third was not, and he managed to clock me in the side of the head before I could squeeze the trigger.

It took me a moment to realize that I'd been hit by the butt of his rifle - and besides giving me an instant, massive headache, it had me seeing stars. Momentarily disoriented, I was grabbed by the shoulder, hauled across the room, and shoved into the wall - hard - all in the space of a few seconds.

Head still spinning, I heard shouting all around me, but couldn't make out the words. I reached quickly for my sidearm, only to feel a sharp pain in my hand as I watched it skitter across the floor in front of me; it'd been batted away by the reb before I could use it. With my battle rifle also on the ground from the initial hit, that left me with only one last weapon at my disposal: my combat knife.

I wasn't able to grab it yet, though. The rebel came at me with another swing, an uppercut to the chin, but this time I was able to recover enough to dodge out of the way. I swung instead, and found purchase right on his ribs. He howled but didn't budge, and, surprising us both, suddenly reached down and pulled my leg out from under me.

I panicked and grabbed a hold of his arms with both of mine and we went down together. The shouting around us got louder, gunshots were fired, but I still couldn't make out what was said or what was happening - and in this instant, I didn't care. This reb was going to kill me - I knew it, I could feel it. No one was close enough to help yet that I was aware of.

But in the moment my vision was down to a single, focused frame, and that was encompassed wholly by the man now on top of me trying to make me die.

He had the same idea as me and almost immediately reached for a blade at his hip, but I pushed past and grabbed hold of his throat in one hand and punched his knife hand with the other. He'd barely touched the hilt before he groaned and shrunk back, and that was the opening I needed. I pulled at the grip of his knife with my left hand, keeping my right exactly where it was until his fist hit my elbow with crushing force, and I let go with a yelp.

He tried to take the knife back but twisted to do so, and I was able to get my knee up hard between his legs. He grunted again and stopped, and I was able to switch hands, grabbing hold of his jacket in my left with the blade in my right this time.

Someone fired a bullet that whizzed past the both of us, and he flinched. That's when I used all my strength to lift my upper body from beneath him, and sunk the combat knife deep into the side of his neck.

The only thing more startling than the fountain of blood that hit me like an ocean wave was his agonized scream. I was certain I'd remember it forever. I shut my eyes tight as I pushed him off, enough to get him on his back beside me as he died, but not enough for me to roll over completely. I felt momentarily spent, breathing hard, soaked in his blood, and way too tired to get up.

The reb was no longer a threat, too weak to move - and I knew a wound like that would kill him in minutes. Still, my ex didn't even wait that long. As soon as he finally reached me, Ethan stood over the reb, lowered his sidearm, and shot him point-blank.

"He was...going to bleed out anyway," I managed.

"Call it a mercy kill."

He reached down and offered me his hand, and I took it. Once he hauled me up to my feet, I could see that my detail and his spooks had already cleared out the rest. In all, eight rebs lay dead on the ground.

"Shit," was all I said. I leaned forward and rested my hands on my knees, my breaths continuing to come too fast.

"The bastards put up a tough fight, but it was still a lighter guard than I was expecting. You okay?"

"Yeah. My head hurts. Could use a shower." I glanced down at myself and winced. "Preferably one with water and not...this."

The carnage all around made me queasy - it really did. But Ethan just smirked.

"Still made out better than he did."

I didn't know what came over me, but I actually laughed. Hysteria from the near-death experience, I supposed.

"That's very fucking true."

While Ethan's team finished up with the cache, though, I sobered. I'd just killed a fellow human being in a very brutal way - and my good friend was still missing. My arm throbbed where I'd been hit, and my head, and I was filthy from top to bottom now. The adrenaline was completely gone, and all I felt in its wake was intense, utter exhaustion.

I hope this is over soon, I thought to myself then. And Cal, I hope you're just hunkered down somewhere...and not dead.

We'd find out soon enough.